Why we need a Helplines Awareness Day
Why we need a Helplines Awareness Day
Gemma Khairi, Director of Operations at Helplines Partnership, explains why we needed an awareness day for the helpline sector.
I am incredibly passionate about championing the work of helplines but was all too aware they often went unnoticed. People didn’t know much about the helpline sector and how helplines support our communities.
Helplines are a hidden network of support, with thousands of people contacting them daily. The sector is so important in sustaining the foundations of our society.
We created Helplines Awareness Day in 2023 to raise awareness of helplines and their importance. We wanted to shine a light on the extraordinary work helplines do and show how vital they are.
The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis had left many people feeling isolated. There were long waits for support, advice and even treatment. Helplines continued to be there—throughout the days and nights, the safety net for us all, universal and indiscriminate.
We wanted to highlight how helplines supported people in their time of need, no questions asked. I felt as though we had a duty to support helplines by raising awareness of and support for their services.
Helplines are there 24/7. No matter what time of day or night, there is someone there, someone to listen, to help, to reassure and even to get you vital help in crisis and life-threatening moments.
Without them, many people would feel lonely, afraid and unsure where to turn, which could lead to feelings of hopelessness.
With our first Helplines Awareness Day, we wanted to celebrate helplines by asking our members to share their experiences of working on a helpline. We put together a short video with some interviews with members. We wanted to kick start Helplines Awareness Day with a real insight into the important work they do, while promoting the life-affirming yet often overlooked services.
The aim of our 2024 campaign last year was to demonstrate the need for helplines and the impact they have on people’s lives. We asked people who may have received support from a helpline, as well as those who work and volunteer for one, to share their helpline story.
This year, we wanted to take things even further by focusing on the power of helplines to change lives and how every day, helplines have an amazing impact, supporting people when they need it most. We wanted to convey this by putting together a campaign video to reach as many people as possible.
As the membership body for the helpline sector, we are here to champion helplines and raise awareness of their work. Three years into the campaign, we’ve established the day and are ambitious for where it might lead. Every year, we want to reach more people and tell the world how vital helplines are.